Tom Sherak Named As LA Film Czar By MayorBy Dominic Patten – The former AMPAS President today was appointed to the new LA Film Czar post by Mayor Eric Garcetti. The announcement of Tom Sherak‘s immediate appointment to the $1 a year position comes close to the 100 day deadline Garcetti gave himself to find someone to lead the effort to halt runaway production and work with the industry soon after being sworn into office in late June.

Tom Sherak Q&A: Cancer Battle And $1 Salary Not Stopping New L.A. Film Czar’s Latest QuestBy Pete Hammond – Former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak has been named to the new post of LA Film Czar by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Sherak will be paid only $1 a year (“an infinity compared to what the Academy paid,” he laughed about his previous nonpaying gig) in the post designed to bring a halt to runaway production and put it back in Los Angeles, capital of the film world.

Living Legend David Picker’s Movie MemoirBy Nikki Finke – Here’s a wonderful reason to interrupt my vacation: my longtime pal David V. Picker has finally published his Hollywood memoir – Musts, Maybes And Nevers. A one-time wunderkind who is 3rd generation film royalty, David Picker Hollywood MemoirPicker at age 82 looks back on a legendary career that included running four different studios…

Gregory Plotkin Scares Up Directing Debut On ‘Paranormal 5′By Mike Fleming Jr. – EXCLUSIVE: After serving as the editor and co-producer of the last three Paranormal Activity films and the spinoff The Marked Ones that is being released in January, Gregory Plotkin is going to make his directorial debut on Paranormal Activity 5.

Denmark Selects ‘The Hunt’ As Foreign Language Oscar CandidateBy Nancy Tartaglione – Make it two in a row for Mads Mikkelsen. Denmark has chosen Thomas Vinterberg‘s Mikkelsen-starrer The Hunt as its submission for the Foreign Language Oscar. Mikkelsen also starred in last year’s entry — and eventual nominee — A Royal Affair. The Hunt, a Cannes contender in 2012, focuses on a man whose life is turned upside down when a lie is spread about him in his small town.

Gerard Butler Circling Summit’s ‘Gods Of Egypt’By Mike Fleming Jr. – Olympus Has Fallen star Gerard Butler is in discussions to join Game Of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Gods Of Egypt, the Summit Entertainment film to be directed by Alex Proyas.